A CAR thief planning to sue police for £100,000 after he smashed into a bus will face a massive fight for any cash.

Tony Coaker, 29, was left in a coma after crashing a stolen BMW into a parked bus in Southcote last year.

He claims the accident was the fault of police officers who were chasing him and wants compensation because he was left crippled.

And Mr Coaker, who admits he was in the wrong, wants taxpayer-funded Legal Aid to pay for his case.

Councillor Tony Page - chairman of Reading Buses and a member of Thames Valley Police Authority - branded Mr Coaker's plans a "disgrace" and stressed he would push for both organisations to fight any claim.

Mr Coaker, who moved to live with his family to help him recover, did not face any charges over the incident - which left a bus passenger with minor injuries - because police believed his horrific injuries meant he would never be fit to stand trial.

He was in a coma for four months.

Although he could not remember the crash, Mr Coaker claims a schoolgirl witness says a police chase caused the accident in Southcote Lane on May 27 last year.

The officers following Mr Coaker were exonerated in a report to the Police Complaints Authority,

according to police, who also said they have not had any complaint from Mr Coaker.

He is reported as saying £100,000 "would do me" to buy his council flat and provide for his children.

Mr Coaker crashed into the bus after a pursuit that started in Calcot.

Cllr Page said £25,000 of damage was caused to the bus and Reading Buses had been unable to claim that back because Mr Coaker was not insured.

He said: "It is a disgrace if he is serious about this.

"This matter is not going to be taken lying down and I will ensure everything that can be done legally will be done.

"I am going to demand that this case is revisited by the Crown Prosecution Service. His behaviour was unspeakable and it endangered many innocent people.

"As chairman of the bus company I will also be looking to sue him, if at all possible, for the damage to the bus.

"We may also look for emotional compensation for the bus driver, who was not injured, but had to have time off."

The bus driver won an award from Reading Buses for his handling of the aftermath of the accident.

Witness Frank Loveder, the

then-headmaster of Presentation College, said he was overtaken by the BMW, which then went on to the wrong side of the road.